discrimination

In Washington’s Tri-Cities, an attorney on the losing side of a gay wedding flowers case is now seeking to unseat the judge who ruled against her. Early last year, Benton County Superior Court Judge Alex Ekstrom ruled that the owner of Arlene’s Flowers broke the law when she refused to sell flowers for a gay couple's wedding.

University of Oregon President Michael Schill recommends denaming Dunn Hall on campus because of Frederic Dunn’s racist legacy. The Board of Trustees will consider the proposal at its meeting next week, Schill makes the recommendation after commissioning a report from three historians on classics professor Dunn and University founder Matthew Deady.

When you approach your golden years, who doesn't look forward to peace and quiet surrounded by a supportive community? That desire led some retirees to relocate to a tiny town deep in the woods of southwest Washington. Ryderwood bills itself as the nation's first seniors-only retirement village. But the tranquility that lured people there went missing during a long and divisive lawsuit. The case questioned whether this 400 or so strong community could be so exclusive. It came replete with allegations of shunning, death threats, uncollected garbage and the tossing of a headless rabbit. Correspondent Tom Banse reports on the relief that has followed a settlement.

Washington employers must “reasonably” accommodate the religious practices of their employees. That’s the ruling of the Washington Supreme Court Thursday in a case that split the justices 5-4. The case involves four men employed by a company that makes meals for airline passengers at Sea-Tac.

After a nearly 20-year battle to approve the Employment Anti-Discrimination Act, the U.S. Senate Thursday passed it by a two-to-one margin. The bill would prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Idaho Senator Mike Crapo voted this week against a federal ban on workplace discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people. But Tuesday he said Idaho cities should be able to maintain their local gay rights ordinances.

Civil rights attorneys in Seattle will get reports of all U.S. Border Patrol traffic stops on the Olympic Peninsula for the next 18 months. That’s one of the settlement terms announced today in a lawsuit that alleged agents racially profiled people they pulled over.

The state of Oregon has ordered a Portland bar to pay up in a case that involved alleged discrimination against a group of cross-dressing men. Some in the transgender community say this type of treatment is far from unusual.

The case involved a Portland watering hole known as the P Club, which has since changed its name to the Twilight Annex. The owner phoned members of a cross-dressing group that met there occasionally and told them they weren't welcome to come back.

A lawsuit against a Washington florist who refused to do the flowers for a gay couple's wedding went to court Friday. Attorneys for the Richland florist disputed the state's claim that her refusal on moral grounds violated consumer protection law.

Attorneys for florist Baronelle Stutzman argue the state shouldn't be in court at all. They say claims of discrimination against gays and lesbians should first be reviewed administratively by the Washington Human Rights Commission.

There’s a new development in the case of a Richland, Wash. florist who refused to sell flowers for a same sex couple’s wedding. The business owner’s lawyers announced a counter suit Thursday saying the florist “will not wilt.”

The owner of Arlene’s Flowers argues there are plenty of other shops in the Tri-Cities that could cater to a gay or lesbian wedding. But lawyers for Barronelle Stutzman say she’s refusing that business because of her religious beliefs.

Business is bustling at the Richland florist who faces a lawsuit over same-sex marriage. The shop's owner says she was standing up for her Christian values when she refused to sell flowers for a gay couple’s wedding. Now, the case has become a focal point of intense debate on social media across the globe.

On Arlene’s Flower’s Facebook page, right alongside advertisements for corsages and boutonnieres, there are hundreds of posts for and against same-sex marriage. Now there’s even a Boycott Arlene’s Flowers Facebook page. It has more than 500 likes.

An ordinance to ban discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people failed in the city council of Pocatello, Idaho Thursday. The close vote was a setback for gay rights advocates, as Jessica Robinson reports.

This Thursday, the city council in Pocatello, Idaho, is expected to vote on whether to make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. It’s one of several cities in Idaho that have taken up the cause of gay rights – an issue the Idaho legislature has so far resisted. But as Jessica Robinson reports, even some gay rights supporters wonder if the local ordinance will change anything.

A new report gives Washington state lawmakers a “D” grade on their work on racial equity. As Paige Browning explains, the report card is based on policy decisions in the 2011-2012 session that advance or reverse racial and economic equity.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a long history of discriminating against farmers who are women, Hispanic, Native and African American. Numerous lawsuits have cost the government several billion dollars. The latest legal settlement is for women and Hispanic farmers who can prove they were discriminated against in the 1980s and ‘90s. But some of these farmers say the deal to make amends for discrimination is itself discriminatory.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington appears poised to become the seventh state in the nation to allow gay marriage. Backers say they have the votes in the legislature. The law would exempt churches that oppose same-sex marriage. But not wedding-related businesses. Attorney Steve O’Ban highlighted this recently in testimony against the proposed law.

Steve O’Ban: “There’s no protection either for a small businesswoman for example who runs say a photography business or a printing company to decline to photograph or, say, print a wedding announcements for gay weddings, for reasons of faith.”

PORTLAND - As gay and lesbian people age, their need for retirement options mirrors those of the general population. But they often face unique challenges, especially when it comes to finding housing. For instance, some active-living retirement facilities don't allow unmarried couples to live together. And some gay seniors fear a cold shoulder from staff or fellow retirees. Correspondent Chris Lehman reports.